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Kansas City will pay nearly $200,000 to fired city manager Brian Platt

Brian Platt, a candidate for Kansas City city manager answers questions from council members in early October.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
Brian Platt answers questions in Kansas City Hall in October 2020, when he was a candidate for the city manager job. Platt was fired in March 2025 and settled in September a lawsuit with the city over his termination.

Former Kansas City Manager Brian Platt was fired by City Council in March, after the city lost a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit he was involved in. KCUR obtained details of the $192,000 settlement through a Missouri Sunshine Law request.

The rocky tenure of former Kansas City manager Brian Platt has finally ended for good with a contract settlement of $192,000.

"The Parties mutually desire to avoid the time and expense of litigation," the document said. The settlement, which was finalized at the end of September, provides Platt with a "Neutral Job Reference" as he searches for work.

It also said neither Platt nor the city admits any wrongdoing and both sides promise to not speak ill of each other.

"It is their desire not to engage in any actions which would negatively impact the reputation of the other," according to the document, which KCUR obtained through a Missouri Sunshine Law request.

Platt was fired unanimously by Kansas City Council in March, three weeks after he was suspended with pay, just after the city lost a whistleblower lawsuit that cost it nearly $1 million.

Mayor Quinton Lucas said the whistleblower case, as well as other lawsuits, damaged the city's reputation. He said Platt was ineffective at handling personnel matters and supervising employees.

Lucas also said City Council lost confidence in Platt’s leadership abilities. He said Platt failed to accept constructive criticism and did not communicate well with city staff and elected officials.

Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw said after Platt was fired that he lost the confidence of city staff and the community.

“We want transparency in our government and the concerns that arose recently was a major concern,” Parks-Shaw said in May.

As KCUR’s metro reporter, I hold public officials accountable. Are cities spending your tax money wisely? Are police officers and other officials acting properly? I will track down malfeasance by seeking open records and court documents, and by building relationships across the city. But I also need you — email me with any tips at sam@kcur.org, find me on Twitter @samzeff or call me at 816-235-5004.
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